Oscar Best Picture Rundown #7:

 LINCOLN

When recounting the synopsis of each nominee, it’d be easy to assume Lincoln has won this race already; a grandiose focus on American president Abraham Lincoln – played by two-time winner, Daniel Day-Lewis – and his plan to both abolish slavery and end the Civil War, directed by Steven Spielberg. The screenplay cleverly encapsulates just a few months of the President’s life, meaning tension is squeezed out of a renowned historical turning point in America’s history, directed with a detached skill by one of the world's most famous directors. It's epic (in length) and oh-so talky... a true actor's film rather than a cinematic experience.

Will it win?

Let me put it this way; if Argo doesn’t win, Lincoln will. It sounds like a sitter. Day-Lewis is a shoo-in for Best Actor (him and Anne Hathaway for Les Mis can sit very tight tonight,) and Spielberg will be providing close battle in the Directing category – but the Academy seems to be favouring underdogs this year - well, in the nominations, at least. My call is that Lincoln won’t be winning half as much as everybody first expected it to, perhaps providing the biggest upset of the ceremony.

My Guess: Big shout, but nothing other than Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis 

Film: 4/5 
Chances of Winning: 4/5


Read my Lincoln review here

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #6:

LIFE OF PI 

Out of all the nominees, Life of Pi has hauled in the most money at the box office, Ang Lee’s translation of Yann Martel’s ‘unfilmable’ novel proving – after all – very filmable, and equally as watchable. A success for all ages, its Oscar recognition was probable, especially in the technical categories. Ang Lee himself notched up a third nomination in the Directing category (his previous for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain - the latter for which he won.) Wholly deserved, he proved with Life of Pi he could juggle a huge budget, whilst dabbling in the realm of 3D – and still deliver a visually-awesome crowd-pleaser. Would have loved to see Richard Parker nominated, alas.

Will it win?

Considering my money is on Ang Lee to take the Best Director award from under Spielberg’s nose, its chances are raised… However, I’m sold on the fact that this year the winner of Best Director won’t be won by the filmmaker behind the Best Picture – so, its chances dwindle with that in mind. It has the Hugo appeal, but that film didn’t quite pip The Artist to the post last year.

Film: 4/5 
Chances of Winning: 3/5


Read my Life of Pi review here

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #5

LES MISÉRABLES 

A film adaptation of mammoth musical Les Miserables (itself an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel,) directed by a previous Oscar winner (The King’s Speech’s Tom Hooper) was always going to bait the Academy. Throw in the mixer the fact that this is the ‘first’ film to have had its actors sing on-set live (to this scale, anyway,) and the blistering performances – namely from the deadest cert of the night, Anne Hathaway (she’ll scoop Best Supporting Actress.)

Will it win?

This is the strange thing – no. It isn’t even deemed a frontrunner. In a year where Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, and now Argo, have been firmly fixed on everybody’s lips, Les Misérables has been largely ignored. In a sense, this means good ‘ole Les Mis could pose a threat – but it probably won’t. Hooper missing out on a Director nomination for a film directed better than the one he won for pretty much confirms this. This doesn't stop me having a strange feeling about it though.

Film: 4/5
Chances of Winning: 3/5 


Read my Les Misérables review here

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #4

DJANGO UNCHAINED 

With Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds receiving award love upon their release, the Academy has shown they are adept to a hint of Quentin Tarantino. It will come as no surprise that Django Unchained has been nominated (although, perhaps a surprise that it comes as no surprise – Django is, after all, everything you’d come to expect from a Tarantino film about slavery. Violence, use of racial slurs, etc. and what with the Academy seeming a little stern considering their anger at Zero Dark Thirty, you'd be mistaken for thinking they would have been offended by many elements from this film) It is the anti-Lincoln, and although Tarantino hasn’t been nominated for Best Director, don’t be surprised to see him pick up a statuette for Original Screenplay.

Will it win?

I doubt it very much. As I mentioned, it’s the anti-Lincoln, depicting a rather different reaction to slavery in an alternate universe presented to us in a brilliant way by Quentin. It’s tough to even say whether Django Unchained would have been nominated if the category hadn’t extended its number of nominees back in 2009, so a win is unlikely.

Film: 4.5/5
Chances of Winning: 2/5


Read my Django Unchained review here

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Mama

15, 2013, Directed by Andres Muschietti 
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Daniel Kash  

With a range of impressive treats under his belt, Guillermo Del Toro is a more-than-welcome name attached to the production of films. Director of Pan's Labyrinth and the two Hellboy films, as well as producer of chiller The Orphanage, his presence brings with him a visual influence that the Spanish movie man has come to be associated with.

Mama (produced by Del Toro, directed by Andres Muschietti) bears this visual element, an out-and-out chiller and purveyor of the gothic. The film stars actress of the moment Jessica Chastain as Annabel, a black-bobbed rock chick who falls into looking after her boyfriend's nieces following their resurgence after a 5-year disappearance. An unexpectedly early turn of events counts Nikolas Coster-Waldau (of Game of Thrones fame) out of the house action, leaving Annabel to tend for the girls. Naturally, things start making all sorts of noises in the night, and it becomes clear that the children may have not been alone during their absence...and may have been followed back by something that is growing jealous of Annabel.

An opening that upholds promise, we are presented with a scene of context that refuses to hold its cards close to its chest; refreshing in the horror genre. Similarly, the first half - stuffed with enough jumps and chills to convince you Mama may be the real deal - speeds along at full pelt. It's a crying shame that this is where the film peaks. What follows is an Insidious-esque descent into disappointment, sprinkled with only a few genuine scares. Memorable scenes (layered with a hint of comedy that grounds the film with an improbable sense of realism) fail to live up to the first act's set-up, although Chastain does her best in her first horror leading lady turn (no surprise,) even if you feel aware that this film is lower down the food chain of recent film appearances. 

The background story is what saves this from becoming an inescapable plummet. Yet, with an emotive climax that relies far too heavily on CGI to extract the intended reaction is what ironically stunts any emotion you may be feeling. What it builds to is the sense that what you are watching is a squandered opportunity.

Mama, for all of its promise, is not the daddy.

2.5/5

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #3:

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

The shortest film amongst a set of films which almost half exceed the 2 hour barrier, Beasts of the Southern Wild may have had the lowest budget and the most unknown talent attached, but nothing has prevented Benh Zeitlin’s independent charmer, about a community beyond a levee in New Orleans, from being recognised... wholeheartedly deserved recognition, at that. Zeitlin’s nomination for Director may have been stolen from under Affleck’s nose, but this feat isn’t to be taken away from the first-timer. Quvenzhané Wallis’ groundbreaking nomination for Best Actress – at 9, the youngest ever – solidifies Beasts as the film that is happy not to win, but grateful to be nominated none-the-less.

Chances of Winning:

Appearing alongside the powerhouse hefty films in the mixer this year (Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln,)  counts Beasts of the Southern Wild squarely out of this race - although, love for the film hs been expressed by a few big names in Hollywood, meaning it could potentially have several votes behind it.

Film: 4.5/5
Chances of Winning: 2/5

Read my Beasts of the Southern Wild review here

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #2:

ARGO

Ben Affleck’s third stint behind the camera has proved to be his most acclaimed – no small thing, what with the abounding love for both Gone Baby Gone and The Town – and an Oscar nomination was always going to be a certainty upon its release late last year.  The plot recounts a CIA operative attempting to rescue six U.S. diplomats by leading them out of an increasingly more violent Iran by showcasing them as a film crew on location to shoot their science-fiction film, Argo. Both intense politically-charged drama and witty Hollywood satire (thanks to John Goodman and Oscar-nominated Alan Arkin’s roles as hotshot producers,) Argo - for all of its Sidney Lumet-esque 70s politics - is an immensely enjoyable flick that succeeds at everything Affleck wanted it to.

Will it win?

Following its recent mammoth runaway success this awards season in all the leading categories, Argo has gone from dark horse to serious contender in a matter of weeks. Affleck being snubbed by the Academy for a nomination in the Best Director category initially stunted its chances, (the last time Best Director wasn’t won by a filmmaker behind the Best Picture was in 2006 – Ang Lee reigned supreme for Brokeback Mountain over the victorious Crash,) 2013 is looking likely to re-set that stat. Affleck will be both unofficial king and unsung hero of the Oscars. 

Film: 4.5/5
Chances of Winning: 4.5/5

Read my Argo review here

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